Hear now the Word of God from the book of Genesis chapter 15 verses 1 through 12 and 17 and 18. “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord […]

John 20:19-31 (NRSV) 19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and […]

John 20:1-18 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken […]

MATTHEW 28:1-10 28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and […]

Matthew 21:1-11 (NRSV) 21 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, […]

We continue today in our series on the “3 Simple Rules,” the guidelines for living the Christian life in such a way that we will actually be changed by God’s grace. Remember the image we’ve been using: if our sin and spiritual failures are like stumbling and skinning our knees, then we aren’t interested just […]

Galatians 5:14-15 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Today is part two in a 4-part series on the “Three Simple Rules” or the General Rules of […]

For the past 6 weeks, we have sat at the feet of our Rabbi Jesus. We’ve learned he calls everyone who is willing to follow. We have found freedom in the words from Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV), 28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take […]

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Concerning Almsgiving 6 “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that […]

Today is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of Lent and the day in the church calendar that we are called upon to face our own mortality. I am confessing a secret that I actually don’t hate Lent. Because in this crazy, busy culture we need 40 days to contemplate, pray, and fast and this is […]